These New £5 Coins are Like a Silver Window Into London's Landmarks

The Royal Mint is set to introduce 3,500 limited edition £5 coins into circulation, as part of a collection titled "Portrait of Britain". Each silver, crown-sized coin will depict one of four British landmarks -- either Elizabeth "home of Big Ben" Tower, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace or Tower Bridge -- and have been made using a trichromatic colour-printing technique which gives them a watercolour-like finish when compared to other standard coins.

Designed by Royal Mint engravers Laura Clancy and Glyn Davis, the coins have been etched in such a way as to offer a view of the landmarks just as a visitor to London would see them -- but undisturbed by a bustle of tourists or crummy weather. As the photos below show, stand in just the right spot and you can even align the coins against their real-world inspirations.

For a collection called "Portrait of Britain", it's a bit London-centric, with each of the coins depicting a landmark from the capital. But there's something childishly amusing about being able to say you've got Big Ben in your trousers. [TimeOut]